Obviously I want to create as many tips as possible. How do I do that without cutting off next year's fruit?
I'm thinking cut the tips back as I pick the apples.

What rootstock are we talking about?

So far it hasn't tried to have a spur but it has only had 2 bearing years to show me. It has only been the tips that produced flowers both years.
My niece's on semi-dwarf in my yard has put out things that look like spurs but hasn't had a flower to confirm. That would be an interesting twist if my niece's grows more like Newtown and the one I bought as Newtown doesn't.
The reason I'm not sure about my niece's is the flavor from her yard was extremely tart and the Newtowns in my yard weren't. I'm hopeful I can do a side by side from the same yard next year.

So if I prune the Grandpa's tree like I was trying to encourage spurs next year that should cover it for however it's going to bear? And my idea of pruning back the whips as I pick the fruit this year might be a good start at that (it'd be late but I think too late to get any growth from pruning).

Lodi was easy to figure out with the fruit being off the tree in July. I just tipped everything after fruiting and it had plenty of time to set up flowers for next year. I've got it bearing away from the tips. At least I did before fireblight took out a bunch of spurs this year.

On my Newtown, all the apples on the tree are on spurs below last year wood- I just checked it out. They will not be ripe until almost Nov..

But,
I was just out and the Newtown might have flower buds down the branches set up to be spurs. It might be be ready to start producing next year. I'll leave it alone one more year.
Or if they're not flower buds I'll tip the branches without fruit sometime late next summer. Either turn them into spurs or try to get as many tips as I can.